Method of making bricks.



F. WV. BUTTERWORTH. METHOD 0F MAKING BRICKS. APPLICATION man MAR. n.|916.

Pateirted June 12, 1917.

. zZ/'eiz-UY .ccercda/'Zff METHOD 0F MAKING BRIGKS.

Specification of Letters Patent. y Patterned Juni@ 12, 1917.

Original application filed August 19, 1915, Serial No. 46,236. Dividedand this amplieation*filedv March 11, 1916. Serial No. 83,530.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK XV. BUTTER- wonrrr, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Danville, in the county of Vermilion, State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methodsof Makinglricks, (this application being a division of my applicationfor Letters Patent filed by me on the 19th day of August, 1915, SerialNo. 46,236,) of Which the following is a specification. My inventionrelates to methods of manufacturing bricks, and refers particularly,although not exclusively, to a method of manufacture used in connectionWith the well-known stiff-mud process.

It is one of the objects of my invention to construct bricks or similararticles which shall have a roughened surface Without predominatinglines extending in any direction, While at the same time the lighteffect produced on the bricks shall be soft and lightabsorbing ratherthan light-reflecting.

It is a further object of my invention to produce bricks which may belaid in any position in a wall and in Whatever position they are laidthey will have the same apaearance in so far as the eifect of the lighton the surface of the bricks is concerned.

Further objects of my invention consist in producing bricks of thedesired characteristics by a method Which shall be inexpensive andcapable of producing bricks in large quantities.

Stated in general terms, my invention consists in a method for producingbricks having a roughened surface Without predominating lines extendingin any direction, and provided on their surface with a large numberofminute indentations, which assist in giving the brick the desiredqualities. My improved method is used in connection with the ordinarystiff-mud process, and consists of first preliminarily roughening thesurface of the clay-ribbon and then subjecting it to a stippling action,the latter being preferably accomplished by means of brushes carryingresilient bristles of Wire or the like. By this stippling action thepreliminarily roughened surface of the clayribbon is brought into thedesired condition by which all traces of cracks or lines are removed;While the desired. appearance issethe stipplingaction Which forms curedby the surface of the minute indentations rin ribbon.

These and other advantages of my invention will be more readilyunderstood by reference to the accompanying drawings, which show apreferred embodiment of means for carrying out my improved method, andin Which- Figure 1 is a plan of a brick-making machineused for carryingout my improved method; and,

Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1. n

I will first describe the machine for carrying out my improved method,after which the description of the method itself may be more readilyunderstood.

A brick-press, of any Well-known type, is provided With the die 10, fromwhich is pressed the clay-ribbon 11, which is received by the endlessconveyer belt 12, which passes around sheaves or pulleys 13, one ofwhich is shown in Fig. 2. A table or platform 111 is provided which hasa surface approximately at'the level of the upper surface of theconveyer belt 12.'

A horizontal Wire` 15 andthe tvvovertical Wires 16 are provided near themouth of the. die 10, the horizontal Wire l5 serving to remove a thinlayer from the upper surface of the ribbon 11 and the Wire 16 performinga similar function with reference to the sides of thev clay-ribbon. Theplow-shaped member 17 supported on the table or platform 11 serves toremove from the upper surface of the clay-ribbon the layer of materialshaved therefrom by the Wire 15. The clay-ribbon 11 as it leaves the die10v has a smooth Surface, as indicated in the portion 18 of the ribbon.yThe Wires 15 and 16, however, serve to roughen the surface of theribbon in the manner shown in the portion 19 of said ribbon, a number ofmore or less fine transverse cracks being formed in this surface. Aplurality of side brushes 20 are rotatably mounted in the frame 21. Thebristles 22 of these brushes 2O engage, the sides of the ribbon 11 sothat the travel of the ribbon itself on the conveyer 12 causes thebrushes to be rotated, and during this rotation the bristles 22 (whichare preferably made of narrow flat strips of tempered small amount, ofclay is removed from theV surface of the ribbon. In order that thepicking may throw the small cut particles of clay in the direction inwhich the ribbon lis traveling, I prefer to have the bristles 22 madewith a slight permanent bend; otherwise, upon engagement of the end of abristle by the clay-ribbon its curvature would be formed in the oppositedirection from that which is represented in Fig. 2 and the subsequentpicking action would not be as effective. It will be evident that by theengagement of the bristles 22 with the surface of the clay-ribbon astippling action is performedV by which the surface is covered with alarge number of minute indentations, and from this surface smallparticles of clay are removed by the picking action just descibed.

The top brushes 23 are similar to the side brushes 20, yand are mountedso that the vbristles 24 engagefthe upper surface of the clay-ribbon 1land subject it to a stippling action in exactly the same manner that thesides of the clay-ribbon are subjected to a similar action by thebristles 22 of the brushes 2O.V If desired, the side brushes 20 and thetop brushes 23 may be provided with brakes so that they will have agreater lag when their bristles are engaged by the clay-ribbon. In thisway the bending of the individual bristles and the picking action may beincreased, but it will be apparent that the braking action must not beso great that the brushes will not be readily rotated by the movement ofthe clayribbon, as otherwise the bristles of the brushes would simplyscore the surface of the clay-ribbon with longitudinal lines and wouldnot perform the stippling action which is characteristic of myinvention.

The particles of clay which are picked from the sides of the ribbon fallfrom the ribbon by their own weight, whereas the particles picked fromthe upper surface by the action of the brushes 23 remain on the surfaceof the ribbon. These particles of clay may be removed by any suitablemeans, but I prefer to employ a blower 25, which eiectually blows theseparticles away from the upper surface of the ribbon Without affectingthe texture of this surface.

From thek above description of the machine which I employ it will beevident that yafter the clay-ribbon is extruded from the die lOrthe moreor less hardened skin on the upper and side surfaces of the ribbon isremoved by the action of the wires 15 and 11.6, which serve toleave theupper and side ysurfaces of the ribbon ina somewhat roughened condition.The material removed from the upper surface of the clay-ribbon iscarried away from this surface by the action of the plow 17. Minuteindentations are then formed in these surfaces by the action of thebristles 22 and 2% of the brushes 2O and 23, respectively, these brushesbeing rotated by the movement of the-clay-ribbon itself. Not only arethe minute indentations formed, but small particles of clay are removedor picked from these surfaces, and such particles which are on the uppersurface of the clay-ribbon are removed therefrom -by thc action of ablower, or by other similar means.

After the voperations just vdescribed yhave been completed, theclay-ribbon is cut into bricks by wire, or other suitable means,faccording to any well-known process,.thereby forming a plurality ofbricks, which are subsequently heated in kilns according to any of thewell-known systems.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes couldbe made in the details of the method which I have described withoutdeparting from the spirit or 'scope of my invention, as defined in the'appended claims.

What I claim is v: v

1. The method of manufacturing bricks, or the like, which consists inshaping ceramic material into a moving ribbon, forming minuteindentations in the surface of said ribbon, and picking relatively smallamounts of material from the surface of said ribbon at the outer ends ofsaid, indentations. n

2. The method of manufacturing bricks, or the like, which consists inshaping ceramic materialinto a moving ribbon, roughening the surface ofsaid ribbon, forming .Y

minute indentations in said roughened suryof material from the surfaceof said ribbon at the outer ends of said indentations.

8. The method of manufacturing bricks,

face, and picking relatively small amounts or the like, which consistsin shaping ceramic material into a moving ribbon, roughcning the surfaceof said ribbonforming minute indentations in said roughened surface,picking relatively small amounts of material from the surface of saidribbon at the outer ends of said indentations, and removing from thesurface of the ribbon the material which has been picked therefrom.

4. lIhe method ofmanufacturing bricks, or the like, which consists inshaping ceramic material into a moving ribbon, removing a relativelythin layer of material from the surface of said ribbon, forming minuteindentations in the surface of said, ribbon lfrom which said layer hasbeen removed, and picking relatively small vamounts of` material fromthe surface of said ribbon at the outer ends yof said indentations,

5. The method of manufacturing bricks, or the like, which consists inshaping ceramic material into a moving ribbon, remov ing thin layers ofmaterial from the upper 5 surface and sides of minute indentations inribbon from Which said layers have been re- Copies of this patent maymoved, and picking relatively small amounts of material from the surfaceof said ribbon at the outer ends of said indentations.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe said ribbon, forming my namethis 8th day of March, A. D. 1916.

the surfaces of Said..

FRANK W. BUTTERWORTH.

be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. C.

Commissioner of Patents,y

